Our dogs are considered companions and family members first and foremost, competitors second.
We believe a sheltie should be of sound temperment, beautiful conformation, and have the ability to do what it was originally bred to do. We enjoy participating in therapy visits, obedience, agility and conformation with the dogs from our lines.

Our dogs are very active and loving shelties, which we believe a sheltie should be. According to TerrificPets.com, the Sheltie is 6th highest in intelligence out of over 130 breeds.

We do not breed often, but when we do, we breed for brains and temperament in mind first, then conformation.   We feel that even the best looking sheltie according to the standard should not be flighty or aggressive, so that is why we put conformation second to temperment.

We believe the Shetland Sheepdog is a wonderful breed and should continue to prosper, therefore, we are completely against puppy mills and inexperienced breeders.

We also test our breeding dogs for eyes (CERF), hips (OFA), thyroid, and MDR-1 mutations.

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About The Breeder
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Let me take a minute to tell you a little about myself (the webmaster and owner/coowner of the dogs).
My name is Kelly Clark, I am 26 years old and I have been involved with shelties for over eleven years now. Before that, I was chasing strays down the road and returning them to their owners, training neighborhood dogs, and begging my parents to get a dog. I have worked in animal-related jobs since I was sixteen. These include: Pet Supplies "Plus" (a pet supply store, not a petshop; employed almost three years), Animal Medical Center of Wyoming (as a Pet Attendant/Kennel Assistant; employed over a year), The Animal Clinic Inc (as a receptionist; employed one year), Chicago Drive Veterinary Clinic (as a veterinary assistant/technician; employed about a year), then I made the move to Lansing, Michigan so my fiance could attend Michigan State University. In Lansing, I found a position at Petco part time for a couple months before working for Mt. Hope Veterinary Hospital as a veterinary assistant. I took a year off of the animal field to focus on training and showing my females while working part time at Celebration Cinema. I have since returned to the veterinary field by obtaining a position at Cedar Creek Veterinary Hospital (& Exotic Bird Clinic) in Williamston, MI as Kennel Manager.

For schooling, I am following the path to become a veterinarian. I have applied to Michigan State University as a "Preveterinary" student and awaiting to start classes there soon.

I belong to the Grand Rapids Agility Club (GRAC). I feel that shelties are the best all around type of dog - "agile, obedient, affectionate/loving, independant thinkers, gentle, playful; you could not ask for more in a dog in my opinion." It is also very hard to own just one, so that is how Sympatheque Shetland Sheepdogs came about.

Well, that is about it for information about me - any questions? :)


Pictured:
Myself and "Belle" while participating in a voluntary agility demo for the Capitol Area Humane Society

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Credits
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This website is a compilation of information I have recieved throughout the years. Sources include: internet websites, books, magazines, friends, mentors, class or club handouts/information, message boards, just about anything you can imagine. It would be hard to tell you where one particular area came from, sorry. I do believe that none of the material on here is plagerized, and if it came from a specific source (graphics, AKC standard, etc.) there is a link to that source - if I am aware of it. If something on a page belongs to you or you know something belongs to someone, please feel free to e-mail me and let me know.

Some of the sheltie graphics pictured on the site have come from
SheltieFreak. Graphics with a DQ have come from the Clan Duncan Site.

All Sympa photographs on any page from this domain ARE COPYRIGHTED.